Endings and New Beginnings
by leener
Summary: A story set in season 4 after Malone's return to the tree house. Malone and Veronica are out on a short trip, when something happens that changes everything. Will things ever be the same?


Endings and New Beginnings

by Leener

Story takes place in season 4 after Malone's return to the treehouse. No spoilers, but a reference is made to "Resurrection" from season 1.

Disclaimer: I do not own TLW or any of the associated characters.

I was sprawled out in the grass next to Veronica and taking in the beautiful weather. I couldn't help but smile as I watched how relaxed she was basking in the sunshine. "It sure is a nice day isn't it?" I asked her.

"Hmmmm," Veronica agreed lazily.

Veronica and I were taking a break and lounging under a bit of shade by a stand of trees and enjoying the respite. We were on our way home from one of Challenger's annual scouting and map making expeditions of the plateau. Our destination was to head north to the mountains, while Challenger and Finn went east and Marguerite and Roxton went south. We were finally on our way back into warmer weather and we were all the happier for it. It was our luck that the mountains had just been hit by a particularly bad storm which caused us to be delayed for 2 days until we were finally able to make our way down through the pass. I can't say I didn't enjoy spending the extra time with Veronica though.

I had only returned home from my own journey a few weeks earlier and was not sure how Veronica would react to my return. I knew the others would understand but...It turned out it wasn't important. My feelings for Veronica had not changed the entire time I was away and it seemed that Veronica was genuinely happy that I was back. I don't know if all she will ever feel for me is friendship, but I am happy right now just being with her.

I was broken out of my thoughts as I watched Veronica reluctantly get up and brush herself off of the few leaves and dirt that managed to cling to her during our short break. "As much as I'd love to sit here and enjoy the rest of the day with you Ned, we should get moving again. That delay has made us late and the others will be worried by now."

I let out a sigh of disappointment but didn't argue with her. "I suppose you're right. It's a shame we're in too much of a rush to enjoy the good weather."

Veronica smiled as she adjusted her pack and began walking. "If it's one thing we're not in short supply of on this plateau, is weather like this. That and dinosaurs. I'm sure we will get another chance."

With barely a moment's consideration, I decided to test the waters. "Maybe we can go on a picnic sometime soon? It's been a while since we've done that."

I watched her as she glanced at me and slowly smiled. "That would be nice."

"Great!" I couldn't help the grin that came to my face when she did not turn me down or give me a noncommitted reply. I slightly slowed my pace as I began to take a closer look at my surroundings. "You know, I've never come up this far north and though I won't miss the weather, the plant and animal life is slightly different from what we usually see."

Veronica nodded. "Marguerite and Roxton were up this far a few years ago and they did mention some new species of plants for Summerlee to study but not much more detail of their trip. I always wondered what really happened to them when they were up here. Anyways, from my own travels throughout the plateau, I could tell you that each area is slightly different in the type of wild life settled there. I'm sure Challenger could give you a much more detailed explanation of adaptation that I could, but in essence, each area has a different set of conditions and only the plants and animals that could cope with those conditions end up surviving there."

I shook my head as I listened to her explanation. Not in disagreement; it made perfect sense. The fact that she had to qualify it with saying that Challenger could do better. "I understand you perfectly." I glanced around again and couldn't help the feeling that came on me again. "It's just this area feels different. It's hard to explain. For a few days now, I've had this feeling...like my skin is tingling." I laughed at how stupid I was sounding. "I must be going crazy. Being alone for months must have made me paranoid of every little thing."

I watched as Veronica's gaze once against swept through our surroundings like clockwork. "Not crazy, Ned. You survived on your own on this plateau for a long time, that's nothing to laugh at. Not many people could say the same. This area...I've heard from several people of gods and creatures that inhabit this area. Most of them I could say have a basis in Norse mythology. There is a small settlement in the mountains of people that might be descended from a Norse civilization."

"You don't really believe in that stuff do you?" I asked skeptically.

Veronica shrugged. "Just think of all the things you have experienced and learned about since you arrived here. Do you really believe anything is impossible?"

Feeling the need to play devil's advocate, I jumped in with a position other than my own. "Challenger would say that there is a scientific explanation for everything and what people call 'gods,' he would explain as some form of technology too advanced for those who witnessed it to understand." I myself would not take this position as easily. Since I've been on this plateau, I have been turned into a werewolf, an eagle, and have even died and been brought back to life. I don't need a scientific explanation to be glad to be alive.

"Well, I've lived on this plateau my entire life and I know there is plenty of things that are not so easily explained. Challenger has a long list of mysteries he is still trying to analyze and figure out. Instead of trying to explain everything, why not simply enjoy the mysteries around us. Like this beautiful day...I don't need to know how the sun stays in the sky or why there is a gentle breeze to appreciate it. I can simply look around and be happy I'm here to see it."

I smiled as I listened to Veronica's passionate explanation. That is one of the many things I've always admired about her; the way she saw the world so simply. Many get caught up in the intricacies, but she sees things cut and dry. "I'm glad I'm here to enjoy it with you too."

I withdrew my gaze from her face as I thought I saw something white quickly make its way through the tree line. "That almost looked like—"

"Ned! To your left!"

I barely managed to turn on her warning to see a raptor charging at me while Veronica was facing down another one. I lifted my rifle to get a shot off but before I could pull the trigger, the raptor changed direction. "Damn beasts are getting more cunning! I didn't think the raptors this far north knew about our weapons!" I steadied myself and waited for it to make another approach. One shot—missed. Second shot—another miss.

"Ned!" I heard Veronica cry but I couldn't turn away.

"Damn it!" I swore as I threw my useless rifle to the floor. I pulled out my pistol and quickly formulated a plan. I had gotten to be a much better shot over the years, but it was still harder to hit a moving target with the speed a raptor possessed. My plan was stupid, but it would work if I didn't manage to get myself killed. I pulled out my pistol and saw that the raptor had already changed course again and was once again charging at me. I waited until it closed more distance; if this didn't work, I was going to be in big trouble. The trade off however, was that the closer it got to me, the harder it would be for the raptor to get out of my line of fire.

"Ned! What are you doing? Shoot it!"

I fired off half my magazine before it finally went down. I sighed in relief and made sure it was dead before I turned away. I was just in time to experience one of the worst moments of my life.

Normally Veronica would never make such a mistake. One of the first things she taught me when I got to this plateau was that raptors hunt in threes. Back then, she was always looking out for me, protecting me, as I tried to adjust to life in such a deadly environment. Back then, my stupidity regarding raptors almost killed us both. It looks like she still worries about me—to the point were it would cost her her own life.

She had already killed her own raptor and was probably running to my aid but in her haste she wasn't careful. There aren't many instances when I could make such an accusation against her. She didn't notice the third raptor until it was too late. Until it had dealt her a fatal wound. It came up behind her, clawed her, and threw her aside as if she was nothing but a rag doll. I barely remember emptying the rest of my gun into it as I rushed to her side.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Veronica!"

I couldn't believe what I was looking at. The raptor had used its claws to rip open her abdomen and she was losing a lot of blood. I ripped off my shirt and tried to stop the bleeding. I put a lot of pressure on her wounds, but no matter how hard I tried, my shirt was steadily becoming soaked. I could see her struggling to speak and stay conscious and I could feel her slipping away from me.

"Veronica! Veronica! Hang in there! You're going to be all right!"

I barely remember all the useless things I said to try to keep her with me. Veronica gasped for breath as her lungs slowly began filling with liquid. "Ned..." she whispered so softly I could barely hear her. "Ned, I..."

"Shh, don't talk. Just rest. Save your strength. You'll be okay." As I said this, I knew I was lying to myself and she knew it too. My shirt was already soaked through. The damn raptor must have hit her main arteries. My vision had become blurry and I blinked away the tears that were keeping me from focusing on her face.

"I need to tell you, Ned..." she coughed and gagged but tried to tell me what we both already knew. "I can't hold on much longer."

"No! Don't! Keep fighting! Just hang on a little bit longer!" I didn't care how desperate I sounded, I didn't want her to leave me.

I watched the tears spill out of her eyes as she reached her hands to rest on top of my own. She smiled and had such a look of peace on her face. "Let go, Ned," she gasped, "I lo—" but she never finished her sentence. It was just left hanging there as her body stilled.

"Do you want to save her boy?"

I looked up and came face to face with a white bear. Later on, I would remember that this was the white blur that I saw before the raptor attack, but at the moment I couldn't process more than what was happening. I was momentarily shocked, from its presence and its voice. Only minutes ago—was it really only that long? It seemed much longer—that Veronica and I were discussing about the complexities of the plateau and now I could feel her unique life force slipping away from beneath my fingers.

It seemed like a sick joke to me that this creature would come and mock me in one of my greatest moments of pain.

"Well boy? Speak! Do you wish to save this woman? I have the power to do so."

I glanced at the bear again and could not help but marvel at its misplaced presence. Its beautiful white fur was a stark contrast to the deep red blood that had completely saturated the soil beneath us. I stared at Veronica and could not imagine another day not speaking to her, seeing her smile, or sharing something I wrote in my journal with her. Just the thought of her absence left me feeling empty inside.

"Do it."

"Do not be so hasty. I do not do this freely. There is a trade to be made."

"I don't care! Save her! I'll do anything if it'll save her!"

The bear gave a growl that seemed to originate from deep within its body that made even the ground rumble. "I will not until you understand the consequences. Many I have offered assistance but not one has been willing to accept my terms. I wonder how eager you will be once I explain."

"She's dying, damn it!" I didn't care what he said. If he could save her, I wanted it done immediately! I didn't want to sit there and listen to explanations while she could die in the meantime!

"For now, she is safe. I have seen to that. But let me speak without further interruption! Do you believe in fate?"

He did not wait for me to reply before he went on with his speech.

"Everything is the result of fate, destiny, whatever you wish to name it. Just as you were destined to come to this place and meet this woman, so was this destined. But her death here can be changed. I have the power to do so."

I couldn't help myself. "How?" I asked.

"A simple trade, as I have mentioned. I can restore her life by borrowing from your life force. For every minute she lives, that will be one minute that you have lost. Every day, every year, will be taken from your life."

I could feel the bear's heavy gaze on me as I looked at Veronica and saw how peaceful she looked. She had already accepted what I could not. Frozen as she was now, she was barely being kept alive, but this was not the Veronica I knew and it wasn't how I wanted to remember her. She always had such joy for everyday, such a vibrant spirit, that even if I had a million words I couldn't put it on paper. I know that my world wouldn't be the same without her in it.

"Do it," I repeated.

"Remember boy, I said fate has decided everything. You may both live many years together or you may both die tomorrow. This bargain depends on the length of your life. Do you understand? If you agree, your own life will be cut short every minute she is alive and you may be fated to die at any time."

"Do you think I care? Do you think I could go on living my life knowing I could have saved her life but I was too cowardly to do it? What kind of life would that be? Better to be alive even one day with her, loving her, than spending an eternity cursing my selfishness and stupidity. So do it! Save her!"

"Very well."

The bear stood on all paws and came to hover over Veronica's face. It breathed over her and immediately I could see the life rushing back into her. Her cheeks regained their color and her eyes regained their shine and focus. I lifted my hands and saw her wounds were gone. Not even a trace of a scar as a reminder of what was there.

Veronica took a shuddering breath and tightened her grip on my hands. "Ned! What happened?"

I smiled in relief as I bent down and kissed her forehead gently. "It doesn't matter now. You're fine and that's all that matters."

I looked around for the mysterious white bear but I couldn't find him. When it came time to explain to Veronica what happened that day, I left out most of the details. She was content with the explanation I gave and believed that mysterious things will always continue to happen on the plateau. Though it bothered me to lie to her, it was better she did not know the bargain I made. She would have been upset, but I would have done it again and several times over if it meant she was alive.

I wish I could have seen that bear to thank it properly. My life could have changed drastically that day and I suppose in a way it did. It shook me and made me decide that it was time to stop being hesitant and share my true feelings. I am going to enjoy the rest of my life with Veronica—no matter how long it may last.

* * *

"Loki, why did you not tell him the truth?"

The white bear chuckled as it shook it's entire body and morphed into the shape of a man. "You have too much of a soft spot for these humans, Thor. The beauty of misdirection is in its application."

"It was not necessary to trick him. He passed your test. Why let him continue to think he will die at any moment?"

"And what is wrong with a trick, though I do not prefer the label. Others like Olmec give the rest of us a bad name. What I did was for their own good. Now they will enjoy every day as if it was their last. I have given them that gift; a newfound appreciation for life."

Thor sighed. "I will never understand your roundabout methods. Come, Odin will be waiting for us."

"Cherish every minute, humans," Loki whispered.

And with that, they disappeared.

The End


End file.
